A Kochi Heritage Tourism Development Authority must be constituted for the conservation and upkeep of historic monuments and locales in Fort Kochi, Mattancherry, Kumbalanghi, and Chellanam, Kerala Heritage and Tourism Society (K-HATS) has said.
The State Government, Kerala Tourism, and allied agencies are doing precious little in the sector, despite the Lonely Planet travel guide mentioning Kochi as one among the 10 must-see global destinations, it said. Government agencies have not even bothered to place boards detailing the historic significance of many monuments.
Several projects remain in a half-baked state owing to lack of monitoring and official apathy, said office-bearers of the NGO at its general body at Kumbalanghi on Thursday.
Many travellers are thus limiting the number of days they reside in Kochi, hitherto considered a prime tourism destination in Kerala, owing to the above reasons, thereby impacting homestay operators and other stakeholders. Bringing all such tourism locales in West Kochi under a single authority will in turn help provide a stimulus to heritage conservation and tourism, especially so since the region has the right mix of heritage, sea, backwaters, and village tourism avenues.
At present, as many as 10 agencies are in charge of tourism in the region. Many senior officials have little idea of heritage and sustainable tourism. The sole way out is to entrust a single agency with overseeing tourism development of the region, after disbanding non-performing ones. A memorandum in this regard will shortly be submitted to the Chief Minister and Minister for Tourism.
Kerala HATS director M.P. Sivadattan explained how the NGO began a campaign in 2019 to restore Fort Kochi and Mattancherry to their past glory, considering their identity as prime heritage locales.
The meeting was inaugurated by Lija Babu, president of Kumbalanghi panchayat.
